US Winter Storms Cancel 1,500 Flights, Disrupt Holiday Travel Amid Snow & Floods

• Severe winter storms, including heavy snow and floods, led to the cancellation of approximately 1,500 US flights and over 5,900 delays on Friday, disrupting peak holiday travel.
• Over 40 million people were under winter storm warnings across the Midwest and Northeast, with New York City anticipating its heaviest snowfall in four years (10 inches).
• An additional 30 million faced flood or storm alerts in California, where an atmospheric river caused intense rainfall and temporarily closed Santa Barbara Airport.
• Airports in New York and Chicago were among the most affected, with New York's three area airports alone accounting for 850 flight cancellations.
• An Arctic blast from Canada is expected to bring further cold temperatures across the US into the weekend, exacerbating difficult travel conditions.

Why It Matters: Widespread winter storms severely impacted US holiday travel, causing mass flight cancellations and delays.